EARTHQUAKES IN WELLINGTON.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9568, 14 August 1909, Page 7

EARTHQUAKES IN WELLINGTON.

A WORD OF WARNING. I In a lecture en the origin of Wellington Harbour, Dr. Bell. Director of the Geological Survey, uttered a word of warning to Wellington builders; —"1 have no hesitation in saying," he remarked, "that if the earthquake of 1855 were repeated to-morrow very few of our fine buildings, certainly none of the made ground along the edge of the harbour, would be le'ft standing." No one knew when such an earthquake would take place. There might be a great earthquake tomorrow, it might not be in the lifetime of any of them, it might not be for a 1000 years> x but these seismic movements had occured in the past, and would occur ;in the future, and in behoved everyone to make the city proof against them. The Japanese and Americans had instituted seiamographic surveys to guide them in regard to the location of buildings. "We have done no such thing," said Dr. Bell; "we do know, from the investigations of scientists, something about thern, but ;we don't begin to know enough. 1 Everyone of us should be awake on this subject." The chiaf thing was to make all careful aeimograpbic survey, and a careful choica of the architectural' material used in the city. In the recent San Francisco earthquake the buildings which best resisted the assault were those built of earthquake proof materials. The snme thing happened at Messina. They should see that only earth-quake-proof buildings were constructed in Wellington, or wooden buildings but earthquake proof buildings were preferable.